An elegant brand identity for an online shop that turns shopping into a unique experience
BrandingBrand StrategyCorporate DesignUX DesignUI DesignWeb DesignCommunication StrategyEditorial DesignMotion Design
The Fashionette online shop offers fashion lovers a choice of more than 100 bag labels and, thanks to payment by instalments, makes them affordable even in the high-price segment. But it wants to offer its customers more: implemented according to a strategic concept, they experience a unique user experience across all touchpoints – from their first contact on the website to the arrival of their new favourite piece.
The starting point
The successful start-up Fashionette had been on the market for a few years when it came to us with its request: driven by its own needs and customer feedback, the bag specialist wanted to give its brand a more professional footing and use a new design to reflect its product world appropriately. The associated web shop was also to offer added value that would allow Fashionette to stand out from the competition and hold its own in a competitive market.
The idea behind the corporate design
The target group of the handbag online shop consists primarily of women who have an affinity for handbags across a wide range of price segments. To address them in a targeted way, a warm, feminine look was to be created that conveys style and self-confidence. Striking accents additionally draw attention to the brand and set fashionette apart as something special. In the background, a colour gradient is derived from the sky, complemented in the foreground by a vivid red and subdued grey. Alongside a warm colour palette, a typography mix of elegant and straightforward typefaces as well as ornamental design elements form the basis of the new identity. Applied to the company's media, it is characterised by a unique visual language.
Ornaments as design elements
Ornaments based on the house typeface “Rufina” are used as a further design element. The curved shapes come from the world of bags, with their many different handles and appliqués, and show the attention to detail that bag lovers know well. The ornaments are used as decorative elements with a function, for example instead of quotation marks, as dividers for text elements or as bullet points. They can also be found again on corporate design media, in the interface and in the packaging.
Creating a web-based style guide
The defined guidelines are recorded in a style guide that serves as a guideline for printed matter and digital applications. From the design idea and the use of the logo to the use of web banners, all relevant aspects are listed and, thanks to a clear structure, quick to find.Adherence makes the brand identity appear clear and concise, which ensures recognition. In this way, Fashionette can position itself as distinctive and unique in the complex media world. The style guide is stored digitally and can be viewed by employees anywhere and at any time.
Realising the web shop
Besides its distinctive range, Fashionette stands out in the industry through its focus on service. Every customer receives detailed advice and is also supplied with numerous fashion tips. We develop this idea further and find that advice through good support as well as fashion inspiration is not only added value, but can transport customers into a true world of experience: by breathing more life into the brand, Fashionette becomes “your personal” bag expert. Beginning with the appealing look, this special quality is also carried over to the digital presence. Designed in the new corporate design, the Fashionette online shop does justice to its high-quality products. Strikingly large image worlds and precise product descriptions offer plenty of information, and fashion lovers get additional inspiration through matching styling tips. The real-life connection to the sales assistant via hotline or email support also creates a deeper level and makes the shopping experience more personal. The online presence is thus distinguished by the combination of a shopping hotspot and a kind of fashion mag.The user experience is also thought through in detail. An intuitive navigation concept, clearly structured filters and a sensible prioritisation of content elements avoid the annoying search for the desired product. Customers thus find their favourite piece directly, in a straightforward way and by the quickest route. As the design has been implemented responsively, they can browse Fashionette anywhere and at any time.
„With the new shop, we want to make the emotional worlds behind bags, designers and trends tangible. “Dr. Sebastian Siebert, co-founder of Fashionette
User interface kit
A dedicated user interface kit is created from the colours, typography and ornaments of the corporate design. Digitally, the contours of the ornaments serve as background shapes.
Icon set
A brand mark in the shape of a handbag stylistically picks up the curved elements of the Rufina ornaments. On this basis, a dedicated set of Fashionette icons is created, which turn out extremely detailed. For smaller depictions, the level of detail was reduced to ensure optimal recognisability.
Iterative development of the wireframes
After Fashionette has produced a conceptual draft of the website, we move on to further development together with the client. An analysis of the user journey makes it possible to identify an interaction pattern and, on that basis, to place the content and interactive elements accordingly. The task is to transfer the wireframes into Fashionette's individual look.
Wireframes developed by Fashionette formed the basis for the screen design
Screen design
When developing the layout according to the corporate design guidelines, the use of the company's own GUI kits plays an important role. The design and usability help customers find their bearings and guide them easily through the site. As Fashionette sells its products exclusively online, the website is optimised for all mobile devices. This means you can browse the range anywhere and at any time without losing touch with the brand.
The perfect wrapping
The cartons are also produced in line with the new corporate design and, after being dyed in the corporate colour, are printed with the wordmark and the company's own claim. Inside lies tissue paper with a colour gradient, held together by a silk ribbon. Each parcel also contains a greeting card in which Fashionette personally thanks the customer for her purchase. Packaging with such loving details forms a high-quality setting for presenting the bag labels, underlines the company's passion for great handbags and skilfully passes this feeling on to every customer.
Research and production supervision
At Fashionette, the customer is to be satisfied not just for a moment, but right up to the last second of the purchase experience. Detailed research leads to the result that shipping packaging with selected closure and folding techniques meets the high requirements of theft-proof shipping and also allows for easy unpacking. This way, customers can fully enjoy receiving their new bag without getting lost in impractical opening mechanisms. Thorough tests of various packaging options and the supervision of the entire production chain guarantee that the packaging meets Fashionette's expectations in every respect.
The direct comparison of shipping packaging from other bag providers in the upper price segment and various corrugated cardboard shipping boxes gave rise to the two concepts “shipping packaging” and “lift-off lid box”.
A form proof with die-cut contour made it possible to examine the final product closely before production and to check the status and completeness of all elements.
Advertisements
With online and print advertisements, Fashionette encourages people to buy its products. Because these follow the established design rules, a direct connection to the brand is created. With harmonious motifs, information about the new shop and discount vouchers, Fashionette picks up its customers and discreetly leads them on to its own website.
Web banners
The web banners are given the Fashionette colour gradient and show either a floating handbag or a model with a bag. A wordmark and brand mark, text and a call-to-action button are added. There is both a static and an animated version.
The layouts in a magazine
In printed media, the layouts are created for the left or right page and in 1/1 and 1/3 formats. A flash in nude or neon red additionally draws the viewer's attention. However, so as not to distract from what matters, the following applies to both online and print: both the model and the handbag are always shown as cut-outs.
We look forward to an initial, no-obligation conversation with you
Christian Malling
Senior Project Manager